Page 532 – Safeguard Properties

IL SB 1045 Helps Homeowners Facing Foreclosure

Posted on September 13, 2018October 4, 2018 by Safeguard

On December 26, WREX.com posted an article titled Governor Quinn Signs Law Helping Homeowners Facing Foreclosure.

Link to SB 1045

Governor Quinn signs law helping homeowners facing foreclosure

CHICAGO (WREX) – A new Illinois law signed by Governor Pat Quinn Thursday will help keep lenders from selling a home while the owner is applying for federal mortgage help.

Senate Bill 1045 extends a current law that helps homeowners facing foreclosure who have applied for help under the federal Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) to stop their lender from selling their home. The law signed Thursday extends the state’s law to match the federal HAMP deadline of December 31, 2015, giving homeowners more time to save their homes.

HAMP was created in 2009 and allows qualified homeowners to modify their mortgage payments to 31 percent of their income, making those payments more affordable and sustainable.

Senate Bill 1045 goes into effect immediately.

Please click here to view the online article.

About Safeguard
Safeguard Properties is the largest mortgage field services company in the U.S. Founded in 1990 by Robert Klein and based in Valley View, Ohio, the company inspects and maintains defaulted and foreclosed properties for mortgage servicers, lenders, and other financial institutions. Safeguard employs approximately 1,700 people, in addition to a network of thousands of contractors nationally. Website: www.safeguardproperties.com.

Appeals Court Stays Springfield Foreclosure Regulations

Posted on September 13, 2018October 4, 2018 by Safeguard

On December 20, wamc.org posted an article titled U.S. Appeals Court Stays Springfield Foreclosure Regulations.

Following is the aforementioned article.

U.S. Appeals Court Stays Springfield Foreclosure Regulations

A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked enforcement of an anti-foreclosure ordinance in Springfield Massachusetts.

Banks are challenging the ordinance that requires a $10,000 bond be posted for each property being foreclosed. The money would be used to secure and maintain vacant houses, according to Springfield Code Enforcement Commissioner Stephen Desilets.

” It has been very frustrating for us over the years trying to deal with all the complaints that come in from the neighborhoods about vacant properties and have nothing to tap into.”

The banks appealed a federal judge’s 2012 ruling that the ordinance– and a second one requiring a mediation program to help homeowners faced with foreclosure– are valid. The U.S Court of Appeals in Boston this week stayed enforcement of the ordinances until it rules on the case. During the peak of the foreclosure crisis Springfield was the hardest hit city in the state and has struggled to recover.

Please click here to view the online article.

Six Banks Fighting Springfield, MA Foreclosure Rules

Posted on September 13, 2018October 29, 2018 by Safeguard

On November 5, the Boston Business Journal posted a blog titled Six Banks Fight Springfield Foreclosure Rules.

Six banks fight Springfield foreclosure rules

Judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals on Monday aired a lawsuit by six banks in Western Massachusetts seeking to invalidate two ordinances in Springfield that aim to control and maintain foreclosed and vacant properties.

During a hearing in U.S. District Court in Boston, lawyers for the banks and the city squared off in front of a panel of three judges.

The hearing was held after the banks appealed a decision last year by a judge in U.S. District Court in Springfield who upheld the 2011 ordinances. The city approved the ordinances after the financial crisis of 2008 helped leave Springfield with nearly 5,000 vacant and abandoned homes that contributed to blight in some neighborhoods.

Tani Sapirstein of Springfield, lawyer for the banks, told the judges that the ordinances conflict with several state laws and regulations and are unconstitutional.

She criticized a provision in one of the ordinances that would require banks to post a bond of $10,000 on certain properties under foreclosure to assure they comply with provisions to keep the properties clean, secure and in good shape. The city would keep an administrative fee from each bond estimated at about $500 to $1,000, but Sapirstein questioned if the banks would receive any special benefits in return for posting the bond.

“It’s not a fee, it’s a tax,” she said, making the bond requirement illegal since the city would need the approval of the state Legislature for a new tax.

The city’s lawyer, Associate City Solicitor Thomas Moore, said the bond would help create a regulatory system that would assist the banks.

Moore said the ordinances should help enforcement, make neighborhoods safe and preserve the value of properties.

“The district court got this right,” he said of the decision in July of last year by Judge Michael Ponsor in Springfield federal court.

Appeals Court Judge Norman Stahl questioned if the ordinance might be so onerous that it could discourage banks from lending to homeowners in certain areas.

“A lender could look at a neighborhood and say, ‘We’re not going to touch this neighborhood,’ ” said Judge Norman Stahl.

Chief Appeals Court Judge Sandra Lynch said no one denies the social consequences of the 2008 foreclosure crisis, but the dispute raises questions about the sharing of powers between municipalities and the state.

Lynch said the lawsuit might better be settled by the state Supreme Judicial Court. She suggested the Appeals Court might send the case to the state’s highest court.

She gave Sapirstein and Moore a week to file briefs about possibly sending the lawsuit to the state court.

The banks suing the city include Easthampton Savings Bank, Chicopee Savings Bank, Hampden Bank, United Bank, Monson Savings Bank and Country Bank for Savings.

The 2011 ordinances cover vacant residential properties and properties in the process of foreclosure.

A focus of the dispute is an ordinance mandating that owners of such residential buildings and land — including banks moving to foreclose on someone failing to make certain mortgage payments — post a minimum $10,000 bond.

Another ordinance requires a city-approved mediation process for a lender that attempts to foreclose on an owner-occupied residential property.

The case is drawing statewide attention, with the Massachusetts Bankers Association filing a brief in support of the six local banks and organizations such as the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau and the National Consumer Law Center submitting a brief to back the city.

In March, the Springfield City Council voted to stand behind the two anti- foreclosure ordinances instead of accepting a negotiated settlement of the lawsuit.

The banks , in the proposed mediated settlement, had offered to drop the suit and appeal if the $10,000 bond requirement was removed. The city could use the bond to clean up and protect properties if the banks failed to control them.

Please click here to view the online blog.

San Diego Foreclosure Measure Impact Unclear

Posted on September 13, 2018October 4, 2018 by Safeguard

On November 11, the Voice of San Diego published an article titled Impact of Alvarez’s Signature Foreclosure Measure Unclear.

Impact of Alvarez’s Signature Foreclosure Measure Unclear

Councilman David Alvarez celebrated a legislative victory last November after months of pushing for a registry to force banks to take responsibility for foreclosed homes before they become run down and affect neighbors’ property values.

Alvarez and his supporters have repeatedly touted the measure, known as the Property Value Protection Ordinance, as he campaigns for mayor but nearly a year after it was approved, it’s still hard to tell whether it’s achieving some of its core goals.

The nearly year-old city law created a registry of foreclosed homes and contact information for banks to ensure the city can hold those who don’t maintain their properties responsible. Participants pay $76 annually to register and up to $5,000 in fees if they fail to do so.

The city has logged roughly 1,700 residential properties in its foreclosure database and collected more than $190,000 in associated fees. But a city code enforcement manager charged with overseeing the program couldn’t detail how it’s help the city crack down on problem properties, or even say whether it’s helped code officers reach the banks responsible for those homes more quickly than they would have without the measure.

“It gives us some leads on tracking people down that may be responsible for the property that we may not have had before but that would be the extent of how it’s helping us,” said acting Code Enforcement Coordinator Mike Richmond.

The limited resources applied to the program may be partly to blame. Nearly a year after program was implemented, the city has hired only one of the three workers a former code enforcement chief said would be necessary to run the program and code workers have only inspected a handful of properties in the registry.

Alvarez and Clare Crawford, president of the Center on Policy Initiatives, a left-leaning think tank that promoted the measure, argue its impact can’t be fully measured yet, or perhaps ever.

They say just requiring banks involved in the foreclosure process to pay a registration fee and share their contact information provides an incentive to take responsibility.

“If (banks) have registered, they know we’re going to hold them accountable,” Alvarez said. “It was a measure to let people know we know who you are and if you don’t maintain your property, (the city) is going to come after them.”

City staffers are set to provide a more extensive report on the program’s caseload, impact and budget before the city’s Land Use and Housing Committee in coming months. Alvarez said he looks forward to that review.

Basics of the Ordinance

Alvarez faced significant opposition from former Mayor Jerry Sanders, fellow City Council members and Realtors in his nearly two-year quest to create the foreclosure registry. It was eventually approved in a 5-3 City Council vote long after the height of the foreclosure crisis.

Neighboring cities, including Chula Vista, approved programs to combat foreclosure-related blight years ago.

Alvarez made compromises in an effort to ensure the measure’s central goal survived.

The final version of the ordinance required lenders to register with the city within 10 days of a notice of default, which is filed after a homeowner falls behind on mortgage payments.

Earlier drafts implied city code officers would regularly inspect those properties to stave off blight, a charge the city’s former code enforcement chief said would require the city to hire as many as 44 new workers.

The measure approved by the City Council simply empowered the city to inspect and monitor residences in the foreclosure database. At the time, the city projected it needed three new employees to work on the foreclosure registry.

Alvarez and city staffers projected the $76 registration fee and $100-a-day fines on lenders that fail to send proper documentation to the city within 10 days would cover the cost of the program.

Here’s an early look at whether that pledge, along with other goals of the ordinance, have been accomplished.

Goal 1: Create a registry of foreclosed properties and hire three people to oversee it.

In February, the city implemented the ordinance and began adding residences in the foreclosure process to a database.

The registry includes records of fees, contact information for lenders assigned to the properties and basic information about the residence.

City leaders only set aside cash for one new employee for the program.

In May, the city hired an administrative staffer to manage the database, monitor notices of default and other foreclosure-related filings in the city and send out registry notices.

A senior code enforcement worker was also initially assigned to help oversee the program but she’ll soon focus less on those duties, Richmond said.

He said the code enforcement division plans to request money next year to hire a full-time zoning investigator to monitor properties in the foreclosure registry and an administrative assistant who would spend about half of his or her time working on the database.

Goal 2: Ensure banks can’t escape responsibility for blighted properties.

Throughout the foreclosure crisis, the homes around foreclosed properties suffered too. Neighbors’ property values took a hit as weeds sprouted around foreclosed properties and uninvited visitors pounced. Meanwhile, cities sometimes struggled to determine who owned the property and to force banks to take responsibility.

Before the city created its foreclosure registry earlier this year, Richmond said code officers relied on several databases and outside services to track down property owners and lenders.

Richmond said the foreclosure registry has provided another resource for code enforcement officers but couldn’t detail any examples or say how often it’s helped.

Goal 3: Crack down on problem properties.

The ordinance opened the door for the city to penalize financial institutions for foreclosed properties that fall into blight but that hasn’t happened.

Increased enforcement would require more staffing, Richmond said.

Soon after the ordinance was first implemented in February, a code enforcement officer checked more than a dozen properties listed in the database but found no violations that required penalties. Code officers haven’t done random checks of such properties since.

It’s also not clear what fraction of other properties in the database might be considered truly problematic.

Richmond could only single out eight abandoned properties residents or police had complained about that also appear in the city’s foreclosure database. This is a tiny fraction of the more than 1,600 homes listed in a registry created to ensure accountability for problem properties.

This may be because the city requires lenders to sign onto the registry after they’ve filed a notice of default, an early step in the foreclosure process. After this happens, homeowners may catch up on their bills or come to new agreements with their lender and keep their houses.

Goal 4: The ordinance should pay for itself.

Moments before the City Council voted on Alvarez’s hard-fought measure, he repeatedly tried to drive home one point: It wouldn’t cost the city any money.

And it hasn’t.

As of mid-October, the city had collected $126,464 in registry fees and another $65,000 in penalties, according to code enforcement records.

That totals $191,464, nearly $108,000 more than the salary and benefits the program’s single administrative staffer is set to receive this year.

The city is also seeking another $890,000 in penalties that have yet to be paid.

Richmond said the registry fees are funneled directly to the city’s operating fund while the penalty fees go specifically toward code-enforcement efforts. The city has yet to use the latter cash for work associated with the Property Value Protection Ordinance.

To view the online article, please click here.

Safeguard Promotes Compliance in New Jersey

Posted on September 13, 2018October 10, 2018 by Safeguard

New Jersey State League of Municipalities
98th Annual Conference
Atlantic City, New Jersey
November 19-21, 2013

A year after Superstorm Sandy, more than 17,000 elected officials and municipal representatives gathered in Atlantic City for the 98th Annual New Jersey State League of Municipalities conference. The event was titled “Navigating Recovery and Renewal”, a theme that was discussed throughout the three-day forum.

Michael Halpern, director of community initiatives, and Heather Lazar, community relations liaison, both at Safeguard Properties, met one-on-one with various jurisdictions across New Jersey. They provided innovative solutions in dealing with the growing number of local vacant property registration ordinances and recent legislation expediting the state’s foreclosure process, which directly affects the efforts of Safeguard and its client network.

Approximately 1,200 jurisdictions have subscribed to Compliance Connections^®, but less than 30 are from New Jersey. Outreach to municipal representatives is critical, and Halpern and Lazar shared the industry’s message and proactive interests to maintain vacant properties and protect neighborhoods.

During a session titled “Preventing and Mitigating the Impact of Foreclosures”, Halpern shared an overview of foreclosure procedures, national and state foreclosure trends, processes to protect collateral interests, and the importance of partnership with communities. The industry’s compliance with local standards was noted as the prevailing measure.

On behalf of Safeguard, Halpern and Lazar welcome the new relationships formed in Atlantic City, and look forward to working with the jurisdictions throughout New Jersey.

Safeguard Contributes to Curriculum at AACE

Posted on September 13, 2018October 10, 2018 by Safeguard

American Association of Code Enforcement
24th Annual Business and Education Conference
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
October 28-31, 2013

Code enforcement professionals from 31 states converged on the capital city of Oklahoma for four days of continuing education and networking at the American Association of Code Enforcement (AACE) annual conference.

Safeguard’s community initiatives department contributed to the conference’s curriculum with a class titled, Foreclosure & Abandonment: Understanding the Mortgage Servicing World, Impacts on Cities and Viable Solutions. Speakers included Michael Halpern, Safeguard Properties director of community initiatives; Andrew Hohensee, Wells Fargo; Howard Wedren, SecureView™; as well as a collaboration by the mortgage servicing industry with representatives from Lender Processing Services (LPS) and Mortgage Contracting Services (MCS). Heather Lazar, Safeguard Properties community relations Liaison, moderated the course.

The panel shared valuable information about foreclosures, a message of partnership to reach shared objectives of the industry, and innovative resources for cities to better address vacancy and abandonment. One of those resources that received an overwhelming response was SecureView, an alternative board-up system that uses a clear, unbreakable material. In addition to the many benefits for communities and neighbors with the use of this option, Howard Wedren, president and founder of SecureView™, showed before and after photos of properties using the product. An additional resource for cities is available through Compliance Connections ^®. Code enforcement professionals shared stories of utilizing this tool to effectively identify the servicer, communicate with them, and expedite resolution.

For the third year, Safeguard offered eight scholarships to code enforcement officers to attend the annual AACE conference. Each scholarship included the conference registration and hotel stay. The community initiatives department is proud to announce that this year’s winners included:

Azure Botts, City of Maryville, TN
Shawn Brown, Town of North Hempstead, NY
Robert Carman, City of Aztec, NM
Deborah Dalton, City of Burlington, VT
Victor Martinez, Town of Gilbert, AZ
Dale Nicolas, City of St. Charles, MO
Barbara Novoryta, City of Centennial, CO
Rio Orticio, City of Garland, TX

We once again congratulate the recipients and express our appreciation to the association for partnering with Safeguard in this initiative.

Next year will be a significant one for AACE as it celebrates its 25th anniversary in Rosemont, IL. Safeguard will continue its support of the organization through sponsorship, exhibiting, and offering coursework that develops and sharpens the skill sets of its members and attendees.

A special thanks to the Oklahoma Association of Code Enforcement, led by president Marsha Sirmon with the city of Edmond, for welcoming all attendees to her host state. Congratulations to AACE’s board, led by John Benisch with the city of St. Charles, MO, for delivering another successful conference.

Ruiz-Madden Bill Addresses Impact of Foreclosure Crisis on NJ

Posted on September 13, 2018October 4, 2018 by Safeguard

On November 7, PolitickerNJ published an article titled Ruiz-Madden Bill To Address Impact of Foreclosure Crisis on NJ Advances.

Link to bill text. Link to statement to S-2921 with committee amendments. Following is the aforementioned article.

Ruiz-Madden Bill To Address Impact of Foreclosure Crisis on NJ Advances
Bill Would Provide for the Maintenance of Vacant & Abandoned Properties

TRENTON – In an effort to address the impact of the foreclosure crisis on New Jersey, Senators M. Teresa Ruiz and Fred H. Madden sponsored legislation that would help to minimize neighborhood eyesores and health and safety risks associated with vacant and abandoned properties. The bill was approved today by the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee.

“The foreclosure crisis has resulted in vacant and abandoned properties in neighborhoods across the state. Unfortunately, when a bank takes ownership of a home, upkeep and maintenance of the property sometimes falls to the wayside. This problem affects home values but can also threaten the health and safety of residents in the community,” said Senator Ruiz (D-Essex). “The bill would help ensure that towns and cities have the tools necessary to hold the owners responsible for maintaining these properties in order to keep the community clean and safe.”

The bill, S-2921, would help ensure that municipalities can hold accountable those responsible for maintaining the properties by creating a registry, a schedule of fees and signage requirements. A property would be considered vacant and abandoned if it is not legally occupied by a mortgagor or tenant for residential or business purposes, it cannot be legally reoccupied, and at least two conditions which indicate abandonment exist.

The title holder or mortgage lender responsible for maintaining a property that is vacant or abandoned at the time of the bill’s enactment would have 30 days from the bill’s effective date to register the property with the clerk of the municipality in which the property is located. Those responsible for a property that becomes vacant or abandoned after the bill is enacted would have 90 days from the date when the property becomes vacant or abandoned to register the property, or 30 days after the responsible party assumes ownership or responsibility for the property, whichever is later.

A municipality would be permitted to establish by ordinance a fee of not more than $250 for a certificate of registration for a vacant and abandoned property. A fee of not more than $500 would be permitted for a renewal if there is an outstanding property maintenance or code violation that remains unabated at the time of renewal. A fee of not more than $750 would be permitted for a subsequent renewal if there continues to be outstanding property maintenance or code violation or there is a new violation on a vacant and abandoned property that remains unabated at the time of renewal, which would be required annually.

“Vacant and abandoned properties are not only eyesores in the neighborhood, they also affect property values and can pose a significant health and safety risk to local residents,” said Senator Madden. “This measure will ensure that local officials have a registry with information on which homes within the community are vacant, and may require law enforcement monitoring or maintenance. It will also provide municipalities with a mechanism to help to relieve the financial burden on taxpayers, who are forced to bear the cost of maintenance when a municipality steps in to clean up an unsafe or dilapidated property because the lien holder is not providing the necessary upkeep.”

The committee approved the bill by a vote of 3-0. It now heads to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee for consideration.

Please click here to view the online article.

Youngstown, OH Has Close to $1M in Foreclosure Bond Money

Posted on September 13, 2018October 4, 2018 by Safeguard

On October 21, Vindy.com published an article titled Youngstown Has $870,000 In Foreclosure Bond Money.

Youngstown has $870,000 in foreclosure bond money

YOUNGSTOWN
In its new foreclosure bond legislation, the city has an effective tool to fight urban blight, said City Law Director Anthony Farris.

The city has $870,000 in foreclosure bond money on hand, having accumulated that sum since it began collecting such payments in April, Farris said at a news conference this morning.

Under an amendment to the vacant property registry, which city council unanimously passed in January, those filing foreclosures on vacant homes or homes that become vacant, must post a $10,000 cash bond.

Failure to comply is a first degree misdemeanor criminal offense.

The bond is somewhat similar to the security deposit a tenant pays to a landlord before renting an apartment.

The bond can be used to pay any grass-cutting, boarding or demolition costs the city might incur.

As is the case with the security deposit, the party filing the foreclosure gets backs whatever money the city doesn’t spend from the $10,000 when the foreclosure proceeding ends. However, the city retains a $200 administrative fee from the foreclosure bond.

Since 2004, there have been more than 5,200 foreclosures in the city, according to the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative, which urged city officials to enact the foreclosure bond. The news conference was in MVOC’s downtown Youngstown office.

The foreclosure bond legislation here is based on laws in Canton, Ohio, and Springfield, Mass.

To view the online article, please click here.

Vallejo, CA Foreclosure Registry is Frozen in Wake of Federal Ruling

Posted on September 13, 2018October 4, 2018 by Safeguard

On October 6, Times-Herald published an article titled Vallejo Foreclosure Registry Frozen in Wake of Federal Ruling.

Vallejo foreclosure registry frozen in wake of federal ruling

A city ordinance designed to track foreclosed-on Vallejo homes, in effect since April, has been suspended following a federal court ruling in Illinois.

The Vacant and Foreclosed Residential Property Registration Program has collected $75,000 for 17 registered properties since May, according to the most recent City Manager’s Bi-Weekly Report newsletter, available at www.ci.vallejo.ca.us.

There are an estimated 300 properties citywide that qualified as vacant or foreclosed-on, city Code Enforcement Manager Nimat Shakoor-Grantham has said at public meetings.

The Vallejo City Council-approved program, however, balances on the edge of uncertainty following a recent federal court ruling exempting lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from a similar vacant property program in Chicago, city officials confirmed this week.

Attorneys for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s parent organization, Federal Housing Finance Agency, argued in court that Chicago could not impose its regulations on federal agencies in what “amounted to a tax on the federal government,” according to a Chicago Tribune article published online Aug. 26 at www.chicagotribune.com.

Vallejo’s Property Registration Program Web page, under its Code Enforcement section, carries a red banner headline noting the program is “suspended until further notice.”

Code Enforcement’s Shakoor-Grantham, reached Tuesday, said she is still studying the ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Durkin. She added that she is still determining how many of Vallejo’s foreclosed homes have mortgages held by Fannie Mae or Fredie Mac.

“I’m kind of on pins and needles right now,” Shakoor-Grantham said. “If Fanny and Freddie, in my opinion, weren’t such big violators, it wouldn’t be such a big deal.”

The ordinance, approved unanimously in March and lauded by city leaders and the public, calls for foreclosed property owners and “any beneficiary that is pursuing foreclosure” of a relevant property to pay a $368 fee per site, board up and secure the building within 10 days of vacancy and again each Jan. 1 until the home is permanently occupied. Owners are also required to perform monthly site visits, maintain the property and visibly provide their contact information for neighbors, according to the city.

Although the Council was initially cautioned last year by City Attorney Claudia Quintana about moving forward on the ordinance while litigation in Chicago continued, city officials determined the Chicago case primarily targeted commercial, rather than residential, properties — unlike Vallejo’s ordinance. Council members directed city staff to move forward on some type of ordinance, then go back to tweak it later if problems arose.

Quintana said Wednesday that she is studying the issue, and that her findings might call for some amendments to the city ordinance.

To view the online article, please click here.

Safeguard Shares Industry Message at ICC

Posted on September 13, 2018October 10, 2018 by Safeguard

International Code Council (ICC) conference
September 29 – October 2, 2013
Atlantic City, NJ

The community initiatives department kicked off the month of October by joining hundreds of code enforcement and building officials in Atlantic City for the annual International Code Council (ICC) conference. Countless code enforcement professionals from all regions of the nation convened for the opportunity to sharpen their skill sets during four days of solid educational coursework.

Safeguard Properties recognizes the benefits of partnerships between the industry and cities to preserve vacant properties and maintain the integrity of neighborhoods. Communication is essential in establishing and nurturing these relationships with Safeguard at the helm to facilitate these efforts.

As many jurisdictions across the country adopt the maintenance and code requirements set forth by the ICC, Safeguard was on hand to discuss the industry’s ongoing pursuit to comply with locally adopted regulations through the implementation of best practices. Michael Halpern, director of community initiatives, and Heather Lazar, community relations liaison, informed code enforcement officers and inspectors of the progressive actions being taken by the industry to preserve properties.

Halpern and Lazar also promoted Compliance Connections ^®, a no-cost, viable tool that was created by the industry to ease the many frustrations and blight caused by vacant properties. Compliance Connections^® allows code enforcement officers to enter a property address, quickly identify the lien holder, communicate their maintenance concerns, and expedite resolution. The system, currently being used by 990 cities across the country, is providing efficiency to building and housing departments and saving jurisdictions valuable resources.

Safeguard congratulates Laura Rouse-DeVore, president of the Illinois Association of Code Enforcement, for receiving the 2013 Gerald H. Jones Code Official of the Year Award. Rouse-DeVore is the first woman to receive this prestigious honor for her dedication to community.

Safeguard applauds the ICC on its 10th anniversary and its support of communities and the code enforcement profession. The community initiatives department looks forward to working with ICC’s members and continuing the communication to effectively meet our common goals.